The invention relates generally to the handling of hazardous wastes and other hazardous materials. More specifically the invention is concerned with a new form of container for hazardous materials, as well as a system for handling, storing and transporting the hazardous material using containers in accordance with the invention.
The handling, storage and transport of hazardous materials, and particularly of hazardous wastes, has become a problem of major proportions. With regard to hazardous waste, the standard and in most instances the required form of containment has been the 55-gallon steel drum. These drums are biodegradable themselves, but this causes obvious problems in that the drums rust and decompose at dump sites and consequently leak hazardous, poisonous and carcinogenic compounds into the earth and the ground water supply.
In transportation of hazardous materials using the 55-gallon steel drums, the drums are easily ruptured if an accident occurs. A high impact against a gang of the drums in a truck accident, for example, can cause a sort of "domino effect" wherein sufficient impact is transferred to a great number of drums to rupture them. This is due to the basic cylindrical shape of the drum as well its relatively thin-walled construction, as relates to the bulk of its contents.
Another hazard occurs when the full drums are stacked, which they frequently are because their shape clearly lends itself to stacking. In many instances the drums have been stacked eight or nine tiers high. These drums often leak, with the leaking chemicals flowing down to mix with other leaking chemicals from other drums below. In this situation, even if the individual chemicals were not in themselves particularly hazardous, an unknown and hazardous combination can result.
Cylindrical drums are inherently reusable, even if not intended to be. Unwitting re-use with an incompatible chemical can cause an explosion or the creation of a dangerous, explosive, poisonous or otherwise hazardous combination. The inherent re-usability of cylindrical drums is a significant disadvantage.
When filled, cylindrical drums can be extremely heavy. A filled drum lying horizontally and leaking from one end can require six or seven men to right it, in order to patch the leak. An upright drum leaking from the side cannot be dropped over to the horizontal position for patching because this could cause the ends to fail.
In the disposal of hazardous waste materials, a large proportion of liquid and solid hazardous wastes cannot be neutralized by any practical method other than high temperature incineration. However, there have been only a handful of incinerators of this type to serve very large geographical areas, resulting in the need for extensive long-distance transportation of hazardous wastes. Since this transportation has been drum-based, the potential for severe accidents and even disasters has been quite high.
Cylindrical drums with explosive materials have been known to ignite and shoot through a building roof in the manner of a rocket. Explosive material can dry and harden from the outside in toward the center of the drum, leaving a hollow core which can act as a rocket nozzle.
There have been temporary storage containers known as "bladder bags", such as for containment of oil gathered from a spill or for some hazardous materials. However, these very flexible and relatively weak-walled bladder bags would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome these problems and to provide a safe and convenient system for handling, storing and transporting hazardous materials.